Are Back Surgery Results Promising?

Back surgery results vary greatly from patient to patient, but generally disappoint when evaluated collectively. If the
diagnosis of the causative condition is accurate, surgery has a fair
chance of correcting the problem and alleviating the symptoms. That is
given that the procedure goes perfectly and the followup care is
complication-free.

However, even with a successful operation, the patient is often
left physically altered. This means that although the surgery may be
considered a success, lingering or permanent effects may endure,
including chronic pain, diminished physical functionality or even
complete disability.

Before even considering
spinal surgery,
it is crucial to try every conservative treatment option and do
everything possible to ensure that your diagnosis is indeed correct. Once you have done all this, then you must research your many
surgical options and interview several doctors to actually perform the
procedure. If you have accomplished all this, then it is time to decide
whether to go through with the operation or not. Hopefully, this
article will provide some facts which may help you to make this
difficult decision.

Successful Back Surgery Results

Back surgery
has become a highly precise and focused science. There are so many high tech procedures offered for correcting a variety of
spinal abnormalities.
In the case of a serious
spinal injury
or degenerative condition, surgery is sometimes a good option for
curing 100% physically-induced pain and related neurological symptoms.

Minimally invasive surgeries
should be used whenever possible, in order to preserve healthy tissue
and minimize recovery time. Good surgical results are due to the
quality of the surgeon, as well as the accuracy of the diagnosis.

A
talented
spinal surgeon
is indeed a treasure in our medical system and a prudent surgeon with a
good eye for recognizing when surgery is appropriate is a gift to
humanity. I have much respect for surgeons who have the ethics to
prescribe a treatment other than surgery, when an operation is not the
best choice for
back pain relief. However, I have nothing for disdain for the countless doctors
who intimidate or frighten patients into premature or completely
unnecessary procedures just to make money.

Think it doesn’t happen? Think again.

The vast majority of spinal operations are never needed,
nor are they successful over extended timelines. These operations are performed to
support an established medical economy which thrives on the pain of
hundreds of millions of patients.

Unsuccessful Back Surgery Results

Poor surgical results can be caused by a surgeon’s mistake or poor
technique during a procedure. However, with the abundant training most
surgeons receive, this is an uncommon occurrence in today’s medical
system.

The usual cause of poor surgical results is a
misdiagnosis
of the actual cause of the painful condition. If the cause if not
correctly identified, then the treating surgery has no hope of
correcting it.

Many dorsalgia syndromes are blamed on innocent spinal abnormalities called scapegoat conditions. These
back pain scapegoats
are conditions that are often blamed for back pain, but rarely cause
it. Spinal surgery might correct the scapegoat condition structurally,
but the undiagnosed real source of the pain remains untreated. This is
the reason for the epidemic of
failed back surgery syndrome. This is also the reason for recent diagnostic guidelines to be
issued from many major medical associations. These changes to accepted
protocol advise doctors not to assume any structural irregularity found
on an imaging study is the source of pain unless verified conclusively
as such.

For additional information about surgical error and the common
explanations for poor surgical statistics, please read our pages entitled
iatrogenesis
and
iatrogenic back pain.

Objective View of Back Surgery Results

Do not take chance with your future. If you know for sure that your
pain is the result of a specific injury or spinal disorder, and you have
received several recommendations for surgery, you can proceed with
confidence. Have trust in your doctor and look forward to
recovering
from your pain 100% after the operation.

If you have tried a variety of treatments for your unresolved
diagnosed back pain, I advise you to consider your options carefully.
Long-term pain conditions usually do not respond well to a final
treatment attempt via surgical correction. If the many treatments you
have tried in the past failed, there is a good chance that the condition
will fare no better when you are on the operating table.

Do you really want to endure an operation for nothing?

Do not rush into anything foolhardy. Take your time and get more involved in your own care at a deeper level of understanding. Research your diagnosis, surgical options
and objective postoperative back surgery prognosis. Talk to several
doctors, including at least one non-surgeon. You can always go forward
with surgery at any time, but once it is done, you can never go back.

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